Entrepreneurs from the Penedès continue to land in the Priorat with new investments attracted by the potential and prestige of the only qualified designation of origin in Catalonia. Following in the footsteps of Freixenet, Raventós Codorníu, Familia Torres, Vins Familia Ferrer (Prior Terrae), FourFer (Viticultors del Priorat-Morlanda), Parès Baltà, Mas d'en Gil (Mas Pujó), Pinord or also from Roc Gramona, which made in Scala Dei, now two other family businesses in the Penedès have decided to bet on a small wine-growing area whose wines receive the highest ratings in the best guides and the menus of the most select restaurants around the world.
On the one hand, Bodegas Torre del Veguer, founded in Sant Pere de Ribes (Garraf) and with viticultural projects also in Cerdanya (Bolvir) and Vimbodí i Poblet (Conca de Barberà), has acquired 8 hectares of vineyards plus 3 of forest in Torroja del Priorat. It is a business group of the wine, restaurant and hotel holding Estram, chaired by Joaquín Gay de Montellà and Ferrer Vidal.
They hope to carry out the first vinifications in this year's harvest in the old Vinicola Agrícola Sindicato de Torroja del Priorat, from 1918, which they have rented for 30 years. The historic winery, in disuse for years, requires significant updating. The initial investment, between the acquisition of vineyards and adaptation of the winery, amounts to close to one million euros.
The director of the Torre del Veguer wineries, Joaquim Gay from Montellà Estany, affirms that "we wanted to concentrate our investments in Catalonia seeking to diversify and grow with high-quality products". He adds that they are attracted to "being part of such an exciting and prestigious producing area as Priorat", and that they will focus on making red wines destined mainly for international markets, mainly the US and Canada.
And the Pedregosa caves of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia began last December the construction work of a new winery in Bellmunt del Priorat "highly sustainable and integrated into the landscape".
The investment amounts to 400,000 euros. If the works are not delayed, they hope to vinify the first harvest with this year's vintage. Pedregosa's adventure in Priorat began in 2009 with a technical and commercial advisory project for a winery near Poboleda. Three years later they launched their Nûr wines with another Poboleda winery to promote their own project. The need to grow and abandon the brand label, according to its director, Rubén Pedregosa, led them to find "our place in Bellmunt" on a hill in the spring of 2021.
The new winery has been designed on three floors, where work by gravity. Rubén Pedregosa highlights the fact that they have found "great administrative agility" to be able to build Celler Nûr. Its production capacity is around 40,000 bottles per year. They also have 5.2 hectares of vineyards in Bellmunt del Priorat, of which 1.8 are owned.
